It’s one of our favourite times of year again – the announcement of the Man Booker Prize Longlist!

After last year’s winner Paul Beatty wowed critics with his daring novel, The Sellout, we can’t wait to find out who will be awarded the acclaimed prize this year.

With an excellent list of authors nominated, it’s going to be a close one!

The Man Booker Prize Longlist for 2017:

4321 by Paul Auster (Faber & Faber)

A 20th-century epic and Auster’s first novel in seven years, which sees one hero lead four lives.

Days Without End by Sebastian Barry (Faber & Faber)

Barry explores national identity and self-renewal with this novel, as two young soldiers find intimacy amid the horrors of war.

History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, Orion Books)

In this novel, a teenager struggles to come of age in a world of religious zealots and predatory teachers.

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (Hamish Hamilton, Penguin Random House)

A genre-blurring piece, in which a couple leave an unnamed city in search of a new life.

Solar Bones by Mike McCormack (Canongate)

A family man’s ‘Day of the Dead’ in County Mayo after the boom and bust.

Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor (4^th Estate, HarperCollins)

McGregor’s first novel for seven years. Formal experimentation gives way to a subtle study of the effects of a disappearance on a village’s inhabitants.

Elmet by Fiona Mozley (JM Originals, John Murray)

The debut novel by a medieval history student from the University of York examines post-Brexit Britain.

The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy (Hamish Hamilton, Penguin Random House)

This is Roy’s first novel in 20 years – memorable tale involving a vast cast.

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (Bloomsbury)

Master of the short story, this is Saunders’ first novel. A tale of great formal daring, set in the cemetery where Abraham Lincoln mourns his son.

Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie (Bloomsbury)

A suspenseful tale of an immigrant family driven to pit love against loyalty, with devastating consequences.

Autumn by Ali Smith (Hamish Hamilton, Penguin Random House)

Set just after the EU referendum, this post-Brexit novel is a poignant exploration of the way we experience time.

Swing Time by Zadie Smith (Hamish Hamilton, Penguin Random House)

In this novel, two childhood friends from London follow diverging paths. Believed to Smith’s finest piece yet.

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (Fleet, Little, Brown)

A thrilling tale of escape from a deep south plantation, which takes in terror, beauty and the history of human tragedy.

So there you have it, the Man Booker Prize Longlist for 2017! Have you read any of the above texts?

We’d love to hear your thoughts – just leave a comment below or drop us a tweet.

The Boomerang Team.